How to Get Treatment with a Chiropractor after a Motor Vehicle Accident
Learn What Options You Have to Pay for Chiropractic Care
Many car accident victims use alternative medicine techniques to complement conventional health care.
Seeing a chiropractor for auto accident injuries is one of these alternative approaches. Indeed, chiropractic care is the most common alternative treatment in the United States of America.
If you are reading this article, you likely have seen a chiropractor after a car crash or want to but are worried about who will pay chiropractor bills related to injuries from a traffic collision.
We understand why you want to see a chiropractor. Many past and current clients say chiropractors have a better bedside manner than medical doctors and spend more time discussing their injuries and impairments. These reports match the holistic approach encouraged by many chiropractors.
In addition, some studies suggest that chiropractic care is more effective than physical therapy, treating with a medical doctor (such as a primary care provider or orthopedic surgeon), or taking medication for soft tissue injuries involving the back, neck (whiplash), and spine or headaches from head trauma (concussion, skull fracture, etc.) and post-concussion syndrome.
Further, chiropractors are often more willing to talk with the plaintiff’s lawyers than medical doctors without charging a significant amount of money that comes from your settlement or verdict. This openness can result in vital letters and testimony addressing medical and legal causation, future treatment needs, and disability, increasing the potential value of your auto accident settlement by providing evidence of damages (pain and suffering, past and future medical bills, etc.).
But you must find a way to pay for the treatment while your insurance claim or civil action (lawsuit) is pending.
This article explains the ways to pay a chiropractor after a car accident.
Continue reading to learn more.
Then call one of our personal injury lawyers for help winning your auto accident injury case: (804) 251-1620 or (757) 810-5614.
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What is Chiropractic Treatment?
Chiropractic treatment involves adjustments (joint and spine manipulation) to relieve symptoms affecting the neuromusculoskeletal system (which includes the bones, muscles, ligaments, tendons, and nerves).
In addition, chiropractic care may include massage therapy, electrical muscle stimulation, taping, and other rehabilitation tools.
Your chiropractor’s goal is to use spinal adjustments to reduce pain, improve stability, release tension in the fascia, and increase mobility.
How Much Does the Chiropractor Cost Without Insurance?
After an auto accident, chiropractic care may cost $1,000 to $7,500 (or more).
Here is how we come up with these figures:
The average cost of a chiropractic visit after a car accident ranges from $50 to $200 per session.
And the average person requires 18 to 36 adjustments over two to four months.
Several factors, however, affect the cost of chiropractic visits without health insurance. These factors include the following:
- Geographical Location: Your location may affect the cost of chiropractic care in two ways. First, chiropractors in high-cost-of-living areas may charge more than those in regions with a lower cost of living. Second, a chiropractor can command higher prices if patients have few other treatment options nearby.
- Type of Treatment Provided: The chiropractor may charge more if you receive supplemental therapy (massage therapy, electric stimulation, etc.) with the chiropractic adjustment.
- Diagnostic Imaging: The chiropractor may order diagnostic imaging (X-rays, specifically) to assist with the treatment.
- Length of Visit: You may have to pay more for a chiropractic session that is longer than average due to your injuries’ nature and extent.
- Experience: A chiropractor may increase their fee based on experience, advanced training, or reputation.
Potential Ways to Pay for Chiropractic Care After a Car Wreck
In our experience, chiropractors are more willing than other healthcare providers to work with patients who have trouble affording treatment and provide payment options.
Chiropractic care for car accident injuries is no exception. Many chiropractors understand the importance of starting treatment for soft tissue injuries immediately so they do not result in long-term disability, as well as the legal process and the potential for payment in the future.
Here are some common ways to pay for chiropractic adjustments after a car crash.
Does Health Insurance Cover Chiropractic Care After an Automobile Accident?
Many health insurance plans (Aetna, Anthem, Cigna, Humana, Kaiser Permanente, UnitedHealth, Medicare, Medicaid, etc.) cover chiropractic treatment when prescribed as part of an active treatment plan.
According to one Blue Cross and Blue Shield health plan, “An active treatment plan means you are receiving care to treat a specific injury or body pain, and your chiropractic treatment is improving the symptoms.”
In contrast, health insurance plans may not pay for chiropractic treatment to prevent injuries or improve your quality of life.
You should be able to show the health insurer that chiropractic care after an auto accident is part of an active treatment plan, ensuring coverage for the first round of chiropractic adjustments (12 to 36 sessions).
The health insurer, however, may stop authorizing chiropractic adjustments once you reach maximum medical improvement (MMI) for your auto accident injuries. How long it takes to reach MMI depends on your injuries and how fast you recover.
We recommend, however, that you take the following actions to increase the likelihood that your health insurance plan will pay for chiropractic treatment after a car accident for as long as you need it and that the other driver’s insurance carrier considers these bills part of your auto accident damages:
First, seek treatment from a physician for your car crash injuries (your primary care provider or an emergency room doctor if you need immediate attention).
Second, ask your physician to write an individualized treatment plan that includes a referral/prescription for chiropractic treatment.
The individualized treatment plan should explain the recommended medical care (including type, amount, frequency, and duration (length)). In addition, the doctor should say which diagnoses need chiropractic treatment (and why) and the goals of such care (pain reduction, increased mobility, etc.).
Often the doctor can complete this document after one office visit. However, some physicians may require multiple consultations and visits before they feel comfortable prescribing other treatments.
Third, make an appointment with the chiropractor.
Fourth, ask the chiropractor to write a letter explaining your diagnosis, the causal relationship between the auto accident and injuries requiring chiropractic care, future treatments necessary (physical therapy, additional adjustments and spinal manipulations), and whether you have medical work restrictions.
What About Health Insurance Co-Pays and Deductibles for Chiropractic Care?
Although health insurance may pay for chiropractic adjustments after a motor vehicle collision, you must make co-payments and reach deductibles as outlined in the insurance contract. These co-pays can add up to hundreds of dollars (or more).
We recommend that you ask the chiropractor to waive any co-pays you must make or to at least wait until after your insurance claim ends to collect payment. Not having to make these payments can ease the car crash’s financial burden, reducing physical and mental stress.
Medical Payments Coverage (Called Personal Injury Protection Elsewhere) for Chiropractic Treatment
Your automobile insurance may include a type of coverage called Medical Payments Coverage (Med Pay).
Med Pay, also called Personal Injury Protection (PIP) or Medical Expense Coverage, is “no-fault” insurance that provides funds you can use for treatment for car crash injuries. This money is available regardless of who caused the accident, and it has no relation to whether you have health insurance.
You receive Med Pay funds directly and can use the money to pay for chiropractic treatment or other healthcare needs related to the wreck (including co-pays and deductibles).
Will the Chiropractor Accept a Medical Lien? Using the Auto Accident Settlement to Pay for Chiropractic Treatment
We have spoken with many chiropractors in Virginia and Maryland who will treat auto accident victims on a medical (healthcare) lien.
Black’s Law Dictionary (11th Edition) defines a lien as: “A legal right or interest that a creditor has in another’s property.”
A medical lien, therefore, gives the chiropractor a legal right to the money you recover from the personal injury case by settlement or trial.
The chiropractor’s lien amount depends on the treatment provided. Often your attorney can help you negotiate a lower rate before chiropractic care starts or negotiate a lower lien amount based on the settlement (so you net more money).
You will pay the chiropractor when the case resolves, reducing your financial stress during litigation.
Indeed, your attorney must help you resolve the lien before disbursing money from the lawsuit or risk ethical sanctions.
Paying Out of Pocket
We have talked with many chiropractors who prefer avoiding billing insurance and will accept payment from patients directly.
In exchange for avoiding the administrative time and costs associated with billing insurance, chiropractors may offer affordability programs to patients injured in car crashes (and others).
Examples of options when you pay the chiropractor out of pocket include:
- Sliding Scale Fees: The chiropractor may charge less if you show financial need (such as being out of work due to an injury).
- Payment Plans: Some chiropractors will allow you to spread the cost of treatment over time. For example, suppose you receive chiropractic adjustments over three months. Instead of paying the entire bill within that period, the chiropractor may give you the option of installment payments over twelve months.
- Cash Discounts: Some chiropractors will accept less than the quoted rate per adjustment if you pay in cash.
Does Workers Comp Pay for Chiropractic Treatment for Injuries from a Work-Related Car Crash?
Yes.
Your employer’s workers compensation insurance may cover chiropractic treatment for injuries suffered in a work-related motor vehicle accident.
As background, workers comp provides wage loss payments and lifetime medical benefits to employees injured by a work-related risk.
One such medical benefit is the payment of chiropractic treatment, with no deductible or out-of-pocket expense.
If your authorized treating physician prescribes chiropractic care for the work-related injuries, or if the workers comp insurer (Travelers, Hartford, Liberty Mutual, etc.) or claims administrator (Sedgwick, Gallagher Bassett, Broadspire) agrees to designate a chiropractor as your treating medical provider, workers comp may have to pay for this care.
The possibility that you may bring a third-party lawsuit against the negligent driver that caused the job-related auto accident does not interfere with the ability to make workers comp pay for treatment with a chiropractor.
You may, however, have to reimburse (repay) the workers comp insurer for payments made to the chiropractor and other medical providers if you recover damages in the third-party lawsuit (by settlement or court verdict).
You can learn more about these issues by reading the following articles: Chiropractic Care under Workers Compensation and Workers Comp Lien Calculation.
Should I Ask My Lawyer to Choose Which Chiropractor I See?
No.
We recommend that you choose the chiropractor and doctors you want to treat you after a car crash.
Then, if payment for treatment is a problem, your attorney can ask the chiropractor to accept a letter of protection so you can get care (presuming you do not have other means to pay).
We prefer to have clients choose their medical providers to prevent the insurance company from arguing the chiropractor is biased.
A judge or jury may reject a chiropractor’s favorable opinions if they find your chiropractor and attorney have a cozy relationship.
Our Attorneys Develop Evidence from Chiropractors to Increase Your Car Accident Case’s Value
Seeing a chiropractor after a car accident can help you recover physically and document the severity of your injuries, disability, and pain.
Our attorneys can then use this evidence to increase the value of your insurance claim or personal injury lawsuit.
Call now to get started: (804) 251-1620 or (757) 810-5614. We help accident victims in Virginia and Maryland.
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